June 2: Letters to the editor about Republican primaries

June 03, 2010

Need a local

Why is Bert Mizusawa running for the 2nd Congressional District? Yes, he grew up here, but for how many years has he been in Northern Virginia? What does he really know about what is needed in this region?

He has good credentials but don't we need someone who lives here and understands the area and its needs, not just someone who has an office here for his business?

Virginia Minshall Hampton

Mizusawa in 2nd

I have just returned from Virginia after taking 30 students to Washington D.C., and noted with interest the Congressional race in the 2nd District, especially one of the candidates, Bert Mizusawa. Several years ago I interviewed him while doing research for a book on the Cold War. I have come to know and appreciate his many talents, and can enthusiastically endorse his candidacy. I am ignorant on many of the issues that face Virginia's voters, but I suggest that it is wiser to vote on the candidate as character is a constant. I believe that what Virginia needs and what Congress needs is leadership.

What are the essential qualities of leadership? A leader should have experience in a variety of venues. Mizusawa has proven successful in private industry, in the military and in government. He is a combat veteran and decorated soldier who rose to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army, was a professional civilian staff member for the Senate Armed Services Committee, and was a MacArthur Fellow at Harvard's Center for Science and International Affairs. He was awarded the Silver Star for his rescue of a Soviet defector while commanding troops in the Korean DMZ and has deployed to both Afghanistan in 2005 and Iraq in 2006. Mizusawa graduated first in his class at West Point and has spent a life dedicated to public service.

A leader should be educated. Mizusawa has a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy, a master's in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He also has a master's degree in strategic studies from the Army War College.

A leader should have an understanding of business and budgets. Mizusawa has served as the president of PaxCentric, Inc., a consulting firm, and as president of a technology firm.

Mizusawa is precisely the type of individual we need in the Congress: honest, ethical and not afraid to take a risk to do what is right. Scott Baron Watsonville, Calif.

Vote Crabill Here's a chance to change things for the better in Washington. When our congressman, Rep. Rob Wittman, was in the Virginia legislature, I communicated with him regarding a method for Virginia to recover some of the lost funds expended on illegal aliens, just as was accomplished by the Georgia legislature and is in place today there. This was not interesting enough to him personally, so he passed it off to a committee where it languished. He did, however, find it particularly worthy to work with former Gov. Tim Kaine to add several new protected groups to the Code of Virginia. (He was a patron on House Bill 2550.)

What were these groups? They were added under the term "sexual orientation." As defined in the code "'Sexual orientation' means a person's actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, or gender identity or expression." It's not what I would call family friendly nor is it friendly to what our faith teaches us. We can love these folks without passing approval on their destructive behavior and institutionalizing it.

During the town hall meeting in Warsaw, our current congressman didn't even know if the health bill was constitutional or not. At a recent speech, Wittman stated that we should work for a law that ensures that every new bill have a clause explaining where in the Constitution each new law would be authorized. His opponent, Catherine Crabill, followed up with the response that covered the whole issue: If the representative remembers his oath to uphold the Constitution, no new law is needed.

Give serious thought to who it is that you want to be your congressman: someone who talks big when it's safe to do so and acts little when it counts, or someone who speaks boldly and is not afraid of criticism when defending our freedoms. I maintain that the correct person on June 8 is Catherine Crabill. Morris W Dillingham Kilmarnock

Patriot Crabill

Ten reasons to vote for Catherine Crabill for Congress: She's a patriot, not career politician, a private citizen called to duty by these desperate times. She knows we must restore the Constitution now, or America is over.

Courage: Crabill will give 1-minute speeches from the well of "The People's House" that "wow." She'll call out every breach of the Constitution. She'll offer alternatives.

Save the Constitution: Crabill will offer legislation to shrink the federal government's powers to its constitutional limits. She won't need legislation to require laws refering to the Constitution. She'll just live up to her oath of office and defend the Constitution.